Stringing pianos



(No Model.) 0 S STRINGING PIANOS.

No. 514,976. Patented Feb. 20, 1894.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES S. WEBER, OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA.

STRINGING PIANOS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 514,976, dated February 20, 1894.

Application filed March 8. 1893.

To to whom it may concern.-

Be itknown that 1, CHARLES S. WEBER, a citizen of the United States, residing at San J os, in the county of Santa Clara and State of California, have invented certain new and usefullmprovementsin Stringing Pianos; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, ref erence being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

The object of this invention is to secure the tuning pins in the iron plate of a piano without the help of a wooden backing or the necessity of increasing the usual thickness of said plate.

This object I attain by means of a tuning pin of novel form, shown in Figure l, which gives a perspective view of the conical pin. The section between a and 1) represents that portion which is to be held within the metal plate and inclosed in the pin hole. Of the free portion 1) d, the inner half bcis destined for the strings to be wound upon, while the outer half 0 d is made angular to fit into the corresponding hole of the tuning hammer. This angular portion of the tuning pin is called its head. Contrary to the rule hitherto invariably observed the portion inclosed within the plate tapers in this improvement toward the angular portion of the pin. The consequent reversal of shape at first sight results in an inconvenience, it being impossible to place or to remove these pins except from the rear of the plate, but this inconvenience will be found far outbalanced bythe great simplicity of the device required for holding this pin in position. That device is simply a metal plug, driven into the cylindrical hole which, at the rear of the plate, forms the only entrance for the pin into the conical pin hole. Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing the plug E within the cylindrical hole through which the pin is passed headforemost to enter the pinhole proper, this being conical, with its small end at the front of the plate, the base of the conical portion being about midway within the plate. Fig. 3 is a plane side View, showing the pin A and the plug as far as theyproject from the plate P, the inclosed portions $erial No. 465,084. (No model.)

being indicated by dotted lines. Fig. 4 is a detail section showing a threaded plug as the means for securing the tuning pin in the pin hole in the metal plate. Fig. 5 is a detail top plan view of a portion of the string plate. Fig. 6 is a detail section of a modified form of metal plate, the latter being composed of two plates of different metals arranged in parallel relation and bolted together.

From a glance at the drawings it will readily be understood that the harder the plug is forced against the pin the greater the frictional resistancein this will become. As has been proven by numerous trials said resistance can be easily brought to a point at which the tangential pull of the heaviest piano strings is perfectly sustained even when the pin is lubricated for the purpose of avoiding any grinding and a consequent wear of the metallic surfaces in contact. The proper degree of frictional binding once obtained, the plug becomes only a passive part, no more manual recourse to it being required during the subsequent tunings of the instrument, as the same degree (of frictional binding) is maintained in this construction practically unchanged through a number of turns which would render even the best constructed wooden pinblock completely worn out and useless. But should apin turn too loose, one or two blows of a hammer directed against the plug will instantly remedy the defect.

A screw may be substituted for the plug, when the only appreciable gain will be an increased facility in imparting the proper degree of frictional binding to the pin. But the expense incident on threading the cylindrical hole will reserve this substitution for the higher priced instruments only. Fig. 4: shows the screw S substituted for the plug.

Fig. 5 is a front view of a portion of the plate, containing six pins, which bear the strings of two consecutive notes, each note having three unisons.

In conclusion it may be remarked that bolting two plates together and thereby dividing the pin hole of complex form into a conical and a cylindrical portion, is a possible and to a certain extent a practicable arrangement; as, should the rear plate be of a softer material, it would allow the substitution of a screw without a previous threading of the cylindrical hole; still the simplicity of construction gives preference to the single plate.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with a metal plate having a pin opening which is contracted at one end, of a tuning pin having one end enlarged and held in the pin opening by the said enlarged end engaging with the contracted portion of the pin opening, of a plug inserted in the said opening and engaging with the inner end of the pin to hold the latter in place, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with a metal plate hav- CHARLES S. WEBER.

Witnesses:

L. F. J ONES, D. W. BUROHARD. 

